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Our artisans are from all walks of life, young and young at heart.
Hayward Macdonald Woodturner "I started woodturning at the tender age of 64 when I retired from a career in sales. I fell in love with the craft and have been doing this for about 15 years. I enjoy moving on to different challenges. Making Christmas tree ornaments from discarded Christmas trees was my first challenge. From there I went on to making bowls, platters, vases, spin tops, lidded boxes, beer tap handles, wine stoppers, goblets and my latest challenge is laminating various types of wood and creating bowls and platters from that. At 79 years of age I have no intentions of quitting until bad health gets in the way." You can see his beautiful work in the Gift Shop |
:Interesting facts about Gourds:
Hard-shelled Gourds
Gourds, one of the first cultivated plants throughout the world, have been used since prehistoric times. They are believed to have originated in Africa and floating along oceanic current, spread to various parts of the world. Gourds dating from 10,000 BC have been found in Peru, Mexico, Asia and Florida. The remarkable number of shapes and sizes in which gourds grow makes them suitable for many purposes ranging from the obvious to ingenious. Once dry, the gourd will last as long as any other wood product. They were primarily used as vessels, containers, fishing floats, musical instruments, dowry payments, masks, money and ceremonial objects. Gourds are also decorative. The hard outer skin, being very much like wood, accepts dye, ink, and paints readily. Local artists also enjoy adding such enhancements as fibre, beads, burned designs, and weaving to turn them into beautiful works of art.